The ITS sector is one of the younger and more dynamic industries in the economy and I am lucky enough to take the helm of ITS International at a point where the industry is in one of its most interesting phases. The technology is both established enough to show proven results and yet young enough to not fully know what the end game will be. It does not have the uniformity usually seen in older industries, while at the same time the bene ts are there – even if they are not always immediately evident to politicians or the public.
Accepting for a moment that the case for the adoption of ITS has been made, the industry needs to ask itself ‘where do we want to get to?’ Many see autonomous vehicles as a goal and as1691 Google and others have shown, much of the technology already exists to enablethat, but the reality of a world full of vehicles that drive themselves may not be as utopian as many might imagine. Would vehicles be sent on empty journeys to pick somebody up from the railway station/ airport or school? And if so, those vehicles could cause additional congestion which would be of no concern to the vehicle owner who may be miles away, but would cause increasing problems for local inhabitants, cars with drivers and other road users. Then there is the problem of what happens if an autonomous vehicle is involved in an accident and the potential for misuse by individuals with less than honourable intentions.
More immediately, public expenditure in many regions, states and countries is being cut back and politicians are under increasing pressure to deliver results to the daily lives of the electorate. While for many reasons ITS may not be the public’s favourite technology, it has so much to offer in terms of lower costs, reduced pollution in cities, safer roads and increased utilisation. The latter point will become critical as62 IBM’s Gerry Mooney highlighted at a meeting during 560 ITS America. He said that to cope with the expected increased in GDP between now and 2030, some $23 trillion of capital expenditure would be spent around the world on transportation systems. With many national and local authorities under tight budgetary constraints, accommodating the additional traffic that an enlarged economy will generate will be dif cult. However he recognised that the application of ITS can double or even triple the utilisation of the existing infrastructure at a cost far lower than building new roads.
And yet it seems many ITS initiatives – even those that appear to have no downsides - are running into dif culties and those can come from politicians, commercial interests or even the public.
As it is likely that most decisions will be made, or guided by, politicians, the only thing that really counts is what the public thinks and consequently how they will vote. That being the case, winning public approval is closely equated with winning political approval. Unfortunately the public often see the negative side of ITS – speeding tickets and road tolls rather than safer roads and free- owing highways.
Yet by their very nature almost every ITS system will create data that will show bene ts of the system - be that safety (fewer accidents or speeding offences) or ef ciency (shorter traffic queues, faster journey times). Where such evidence exists it is in the interest of the local authority and the politicians that it be disseminated to the local electorate - and local papers love a feelgood story. Collectively, these stories will win over even the most sceptical public for individual projects and by extension acceptance for the wider ITS industry. And where the public goes, politicians will inevitably follow. So there are many debates to be had and decisions to be made at local, national and international levels.
While these debates may ultimately fall to politicians, it is vital that they are informed by organisations and individuals from within the ITS industry. And as an ITS professional, that means you.
Accepting for a moment that the case for the adoption of ITS has been made, the industry needs to ask itself ‘where do we want to get to?’ Many see autonomous vehicles as a goal and as
More immediately, public expenditure in many regions, states and countries is being cut back and politicians are under increasing pressure to deliver results to the daily lives of the electorate. While for many reasons ITS may not be the public’s favourite technology, it has so much to offer in terms of lower costs, reduced pollution in cities, safer roads and increased utilisation. The latter point will become critical as
And yet it seems many ITS initiatives – even those that appear to have no downsides - are running into dif culties and those can come from politicians, commercial interests or even the public.
As it is likely that most decisions will be made, or guided by, politicians, the only thing that really counts is what the public thinks and consequently how they will vote. That being the case, winning public approval is closely equated with winning political approval. Unfortunately the public often see the negative side of ITS – speeding tickets and road tolls rather than safer roads and free- owing highways.
Yet by their very nature almost every ITS system will create data that will show bene ts of the system - be that safety (fewer accidents or speeding offences) or ef ciency (shorter traffic queues, faster journey times). Where such evidence exists it is in the interest of the local authority and the politicians that it be disseminated to the local electorate - and local papers love a feelgood story. Collectively, these stories will win over even the most sceptical public for individual projects and by extension acceptance for the wider ITS industry. And where the public goes, politicians will inevitably follow. So there are many debates to be had and decisions to be made at local, national and international levels.
While these debates may ultimately fall to politicians, it is vital that they are informed by organisations and individuals from within the ITS industry. And as an ITS professional, that means you.
